The Legend of Bigfoot

 



Director - Harry Winer (ABC Afterschool Specials, SpaceCamp)
Starring - Ivan Marx (In the Shadow of Bigfoot), Peggy Marx (In the Shadow of Bigfoot), and Yukon Frida
Release Date - 1975
Genre - Documentary
Tagline - "Startling new motion picture footage of the elusive creature"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

     I would give anything to have been a young teen in the 70s.  There was so many amazing movies being released and there was so many drive-ins to watch them in.  This is just my opinion, but this was the best time for movie fans.  The 70s was a fantastic time for movies centered around sasquatch.  One film has become infamous since it's release and that is the 1975 The Legend of Bigfoot.  This stock footage film with a narrative was released as a bonus film in the AGFA release of Godmonster of Indian Flats.  I finished Godmonster and was very underwhelmed with it so I decided to go ahead and check out The Legend of Bigfoot and was surprised by how much I enjoyed this weird documentary. 

     The film follows Ivan Marx who is a self-proclaimed tracker.  He is often contacted to go out into the wilderness to track down things ranging from bears that are killing livestock to other wildlife.  He has lived his life in the woods and backs science but one trip changes that when he suspects something is out of the ordinary.  After speaking with others in his profession and convinces himself that there may be claims to bigfoot.  He then sets out to track it and suspects that it may be a migratory animal.  His hunch pays off and he is able to predict when and where they will be.  He is even able to capture evidence of the creatures foraging in the swamp.  

     I heard of this film for sometime but I never took the time to see what it was about.  The documentary aspect actually distracted me at first but as it progressed I actually enjoyed it.  The acting in this one is non-existent.  We follow a man recording himself in the wild while narrating the footage.  This is nothing memorable.  He is confident in himself and his adventures and that confidence works well for the film.  The story for this one is bold if anything but it holds the viewers attention.  The movie could have been 30 minutes long and be just as effective.  I'm glad it wasn't because I actually enjoyed watching it.  I'm sure some will believe this to be a genuine documentary but it is not.  Finally, this isn't a blood film as you could tell.  It does have some footage but the suits are out of scale for the rest of the film. The viewer doesn't get a look at the detail to really enjoy the creature aspect.  Overall, The Legend of Bigfoot is a different bigfoot film but it was fun to watch.  In fact, I could see myself checking this one out again.  Check it out now on the special features for AGFA's release of Godmonster of Indian Flats.